As Summer winds itself down brings us to “way too hot Fall,” we figured it was a good day to look back at Mosswood Meltdown 2024. Our dear friend Ben Zero took some lovely black & white shots of Go Sailor!, Wifey, John Waters, Redd Kross, Hot Laundry, Hunx & His Punx, Trap Girl, and Pansy Division for you to enjoy!
Single of the Week: “Late to The Party” by Orla Gartland ft Declan McKenna
I am often SHOCKED when I catch an artist selling out an entire US tour without me knowing much about them. I feel like I’m “Late to The Party,” if you will. My day job is in event ticketing, and it seems that every club I work with was shocked by how quickly these Orla Gartland shows sold out, and I finally see why. This song rips? Gartland pulls from the classic 90’s Britpop in both warmth and humor and is also pretty ferocious. For those eagerly awaiting the second Wet Leg record, at minimum, Gartland can help tide you over until then.
“Late To The Party” is the latest single off Orla Gartland’s sophomore record, Everybody Needs A Hero, in stores and streaming on October 5th. You may prepare for this record’s arrival however you please here. And sorry if you were hoping to see her this Fall, as all 13 North American shows are SOLD OUT.
Show Review: Chaka Khan with Steel Pulse at Stern Grove, 8/25/24
Stern Grove is one of my favorite places, but I have never make it out there enough. It’s a sunny oasis in the middle of the foggiest reaches of San Francisco’s Sunset District, and every year, they commit to a Summer’s worth of amazing free shows. (Donate here to help keep these shows coming) I often feel intimidated by the commute, traveling from Oakland to the city’s furthest reaches across the bay. However, whenever I get here, I remember how magical this place is. And it doesn’t hurt that our show this afternoon features one of my bucket list artists, recently Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee Chaka Khan.
Continue reading “Show Review: Chaka Khan with Steel Pulse at Stern Grove, 8/25/24”
Film Review: “Between the Temples”
Schwartzman and Kane are a winning combo in thoughtful, appealing film
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival concluded a few weeks ago, but lucky for you its Centerpiece Narrative film opens widely today. While Between the Temples is without a doubt thematically very Jewish, it’s also very universal. Audiences of all stripes will find moments of humor, grace, and wisdom in this charming film.
Single of the Week: “Taste” by Sabrina Carpenter
I did not have “Becoming a Sabrina Carpenter Superfan” on my bingo card for 2024. Mostly because I didn’t know anything about her in 2023 and didn’t initially like “Espresso.” Then “Please Please Please” happened. Then Outside Lands happened. And now I’m smitten with her snarky blend of disco and country that feels so utterly timeless. “Taste” is, at its heart, a brilliant send-up of the “woman done wrong” country song. It would be “Jolene” if Jolene didn’t decide she was the victim. And the video is brilliant, too.
“Taste” is the latest single from Sabrina’s 5th (Yes. 5th) record, Short n’ Sweet, in stores and streaming TODAY. You can experience the magic I felt at Outside Lands this fall on tour: Continue reading “Single of the Week: “Taste” by Sabrina Carpenter”
Show Review: Bikini Kill with Frightwig at The Warfield, 8/19/24
We were there for the first Bikini Kill reunion shows in 2019. They were a profound and moving experience. We didn’t know what COVID was yet, which upended this tour and, well, still upends everything. I’m grateful that they managed to find a way to get back on the road. Everything feels really hard and continues to feel hard, and this band has always been the thing that gives me the strength to persevere and find reasons to be hopeful in the face of hopelessness. Continue reading “Show Review: Bikini Kill with Frightwig at The Warfield, 8/19/24”
Film Review: “Blink Twice”
Kravitz’s directorial debut is a messy but impressive comic thriller
Let’s get this out of the way – Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut, Blink Twice, very closely recalls a similar directorial debut from 2017, Jordan Peele’s Get Out. “It’s Get Out, but for women,” would be an apt headline. This comparison should be considered a compliment, even if it oversaturates the public discourse about the film. All of this shouldn’t take away from Kravitz’s stylish, thrilling, sometimes messy, but thoroughly entertaining thriller. Blink Twice is an imperfect concoction of thrills, laughs, and sinister themes. Continue reading “Film Review: “Blink Twice””
Show Review: Foo Fighters + L7 at Toyota Pavilion in Concord
Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @ConcertGoingPro
Having not been to Toyota Pavilion in Concord at all during this 2024 season, Spinning Platters made the long journey twice in four days (see also Megadeth + Mudvayne)! It really is a trek too… from our satellite penthouse office in San Francisco, there’s a thirty-minute MUNI bus followed by a fifty-minute BART ride followed by a twenty-minute Pavilion shuttle, and traveling back after any show typically takes even longer. All that said, it certainly is worth it to be able to bring these shows to life to the readers with our photos and words… it just takes longer to travel than some of these bands’ headlining sets are!
Except for Foo Fighters…
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Show Review: King Buzzo and Trevor Dunn w/JD Pinkus and Field at The Lodge Room, 08-06-2024
I’ve been so immersed in the metal world lately that sometimes I forget that I like other music. I especially forget that weird thrill of going mostly blind into a show. Sure, I may not know an opener or two, but it’s pretty rare for me to cover a band I haven’t listened to beforehand. It’s both exciting and nerve-wracking and, let’s face it, no one wants to be disappointed. Luckily for me, I at least knew of the other music projects of the artists on the night’s lineup, but even knowing that, did not prepare me for what I was about to experience.
Spinning Platters Interview: Eva Hendricks of Charly Bliss
I’ll admit it. I never thought I’d see another Charly Bliss record. When COVID struck, the lead singer, songwriter, and lyricist, Eva Hendricks, had been in Australia and ended up moving there. How does a New York-based band survive when their singer lives on the opposite side of the world at a time when travel was nearly impossible?
Then, one day, after three years of silence, a new song appeared. Then another. Finally, we got the exciting news that a new album and tour were right around the corner. That album, Forever, comes out this Friday, August 16, on the UK-based label Lucky Number. It not only sounds like what we’ve heard before from Charly Bliss, but it is also a step forward in both songwriting and lyricism.
How did this happen? How did the band keep it all together and get to the point where they were going to keep this band going forever? I hopped on Zoom with Eva, 17 hours ahead on the clock in Australia, to find out! Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Eva Hendricks of Charly Bliss”